A new government study concluded that AZT is less effective than ddI or than therapies that combine AZT with either ddI or ddC. The study involved nearly 2,500 people with T-cells from 200 to 500. Adding ddI to AZT or switching to ddI alone proved more effective than continued AZT therapy in this population.

The results of this study may change the current standard of care where doctors prescribe AZT as the first-line treatment in people with AIDS. The study is also important because it is the first to show that a drug or combination of drugs can increase survival or delay disease progression in people with early HIV infection. Until now, survival benefits with antiretroviral therapy have only been clearly demonstrated in people with advanced HIV infection.

The researchers determined that ddI alone, ddI plus AZT, and ddC plus AZT were each superior to AZT alone in slowing substantial reductions in T- cells or progression to AIDS.

However, this trial failed to demonstrate an advantage for starting combination therapy immediately rather than waiting to switch from monotherapy to combination therapy when T-cell counts decline.

The delays in disease progression seen in the trial represent real progress in antiretroviral therapy but must be placed in the context of emerging results with other therapies such as protease inhibitors, 3TC plus AZT, etc.

For more detailed information please see Being Alive, Sept/Oct. '95 pg. 4

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